Al-Mahdi Institute Podcasts

Were the Shi'as of colonial India at the periphery of the Shi'i religious universe, or did they develop an autonomous identity of their own? What were their hopes and fears about the creation of Pakistan?In this episode of Thinking Islam, we explore the themes of Professor Justin Jones's landmark book Shi'a Islam in Colonial India. The conversation begins by challenging the assumption that Iran and the shrine cities of Iraq form the sole heartland of Shi'ism, and traces the indigenous character of Indian Shi'ism after the fall of Awadh in 1856. We discuss the rise of madrasas, the different categories of ulama and Indian mujtahids who provided autonomous leadership without always looking westward, the consolidation of the Shi'a as a distinct qaum rather than a firqa, and the question of political quietism in their relationship with the British Raj. The discussion then turns to the Pakistan Movement, where Shi'a presence in the Muslim League sat uneasily alongside the deep apprehension that Pakistan would become a "Sunnistan," and the striking alliance between Indian Shi'as and Ambedkar's untouchable movement, where Imam Husain emerged as a universal model for social justice and the struggle against oppression.Professor Justin Jones is a historian of Islam in modern South Asia at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on religious revitalisation, the remaking of religious authority, and the social history of Muslim communities in the subcontinent. His work on Shi'i Islam has opened scholarly conversations on Shi'i religious thought, community formation, and politics from the fall of Awadh to independence in north India.Audio Chapters:0:00 – Highlights01:52 – Why Shi'a Islam in South Asia06:31 – Indian Shi'as in the Shi'i Religious Universe14:00 – Relation with Najaf and Qom25:00 – Role of Ulama and Mujtahids41:27 – Shi'as as a Separate Qaum55:10 – Shi'as and the Pakistan Movement1:03:30 – Imam Husain, Untouchables, & Freedom1:13:43 – Ghulats, Usulis, & Akhbaris in India1:22:00 – Decline of Shi'ism in India?1:32:11 – Thinking Islam Question

Can Christian majority societies and Muslim communities find common ground on some of the most contested issues of our time?In this research seminar, Professor Robert Wintemute, Professor of Human Rights Law at King's College London, explores a compelling framework of reciprocal tolerance: if Christian-majority societies continue to legally protect visible Muslim religious practices, can Muslim communities in turn come to accept the secular legal recognition of same-sex marriage?Drawing on landmark case law from the UK, France, Canada, the United States, Germany, and South Africa, Professor Wintemute examines how courts have navigated the tension between institutional neutrality and religious accommodation — from disputes over the niqab and jilbab to the banning of religious symbols in French schools and Québec's public sector. He then turns to the rapid global expansion of same-sex marriage — now legal in 38 countries — and asks what a genuinely pluralistic society might look like when competing rights claims are taken seriously on all sides.Audio Chapters:00:00 Introduction03:12 Majority Acceptance of Visible Muslim Diversity03:24 The Birmingham Case That Changed UK Law10:41 Religious Accommodation in Canada, USA & South Africa13:51 France, Europe & the Secularism Debate24:48 Quebec: Canada's French Exception29:00 Give & Take: Same-Sex Marriage30:08 Criminalisation vs. Recognition Worldwide32:15 Muslim Acceptance of Secular Same-Sex Marriage

How does listening to the Qur'an differ from reading it? What does it mean to approach the Qur'an not with your mind but with your whole existence?In this episode of Thinking Islam, Dr Abdolkarim Soroush proposes an existential encounter with the Qur'an, one that asks us to set aside our assumptions and approach it not as a book of law or philosophy but as maw'iẓa (admonition) that speaks to the whole being. This conversation explores the difference between reading and listening, why Rumi's Mathnawi is called the Persian Qur'an, and what it means to have a pure heart as a precondition for understanding the Qur’an. We delve into how kufr in the Qur'an is not about non-belief but about arrogance before truth, and why, as Dr Soroush tells us, the companion according to Sufis is everything.Dr Abdolkarim Soroush is a distinguished philosopher of religion and a leading voice in Islamic intellectual reform. A Visiting Scholar at the University of Maryland and former Professor at the University of Tehran, he has held visiting positions at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale Universities. Dr Soroush is renowned for his influential work on prophetic experience and his contributions to contemporary Islamic philosophy and Qur'anic hermeneutics.Audio Chapters:0:00 - Highlights01:30 - Relation between Qur’an & Its Reader07:20 - Uneven depth of the Qur’an13:09 - Reading vs Listening to Qur’an24:44 - Existential Reading of the Qur’an32:36 - Losing the Sense of Maw’iza in Translation39:33 - Rumi’s Mathnawi: A Persian Qur’an44:50 - Pure Heart & Qur’an49:17 - Love & Companionship 55:19 - Is Qur’an not a Kitab?58:32 - Thinking Islam Question

Can mourning become a pathway to the divine? Has the modern world sanitised death, and does Muharram insist we don’t look away?Drawing from his forthcoming book Senses of Mourning, Dr Babak Rahimi of UC San Diego asks a question many have wondered, but few have explored: why do Shi'as keep mourning? This episode reveals mourning not as passive grief but as active devotion, a technique for connecting to God through the body, the senses, and collective memory. We explore how modernity's devotion to pleasure has pushed death to the margins, how Muharram insists we confront what modern life conceals, and why the senses are not obstacles to the sacred but pathways toward it. From the festive dimensions of grief to the standardisation of ritual by state and digital platforms, this conversation moves through the space where philosophy meets performance, and where the body becomes a site of hope.Dr Babak Rahimi is an Associate Professor of Communication, Culture and Religion at UC San Diego, where he directs the Program for the Study of Religion and the Middle East Studies Program. His research focuses on sensory religion, public sphere theory, and the historical contexts of early modern Islamicate societies. He is the author of "Theatre-State" and "The Formation of the Early Modern Public Sphere in Iran" (Brill, 2011) and editor of "Performing Iran" (I.B. Tauris, 2021).Audio Chapters: 0:00 – Highlights 01:30 – Why Muharram Performances? 5:50 – Mourning as Religiosity? 18:06 – Mourning as Technique 26:02 – Muharram as Festive Events 36:01 – Role of Senses in Muharram Devotion 46:14 – Panja and Symbolism 51:00 – Memory as a Sense? 57:00 – Gender and Muharram Performances 59:50 – Self-Flagellation as Performance? 1:06:40 – Muharram and the Other 1:11:00 – Why Western Thinkers? 1:19:40 – Modern World and the Sense of Smell 1:24:27 – Digital and the Standardisation of Muharram Rituals 1:38:28 – Thinking Islam Question📖 Get the Book: "Senses of Mourning" by Dr. Babak Rahimi 🔗 Penn Press: https://www.pennpress.org/9781512828344/senses-of-mourning/ 🔗 Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Senses-Mourning-Moharram-Performances-Qajar/dp/1512828343

This talk critically examines transhumanism and AI through the lens of Christian theological anthropology. Professor Valčo contrasts visions of technological “optimization” with religious understandings of embodiment, vulnerability, and communion, offering an alternative ethical vision for the digital future.

Drawing on major UK and European research projects, this talk explores how digital spaces are reshaping Muslim religious authority, identity, and practice. Professor Cheruvallil-Contractor examines how different generations navigate faith across online and offline worlds.

This talk explores how classical ethical traditions and religious philosophy can respond to the growing moral challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Drawing on Buddhist thought and contemporary philosophy, Dr Maurya examines whether AI threatens human agency and how ethical frameworks might help safeguard humanity in an increasingly automated world.

This joint presentation investigates how large language models influence Catholic theology and moral reasoning. Karr and Conwill examine how AI systems can blur doctrinal distinctions, while also considering how faith-based ethical frameworks might guide responsible religious uses of AI.

Professor Campbell analyses how internet memes shape public perceptions of religious communities. She explores how humour, stereotypes, and digital culture can reinforce religious bias, while also highlighting how faith communities can critically engage and respond.

Professor Reed addresses the ethical challenges of weapons control through Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. She explores how shared moral resources can contribute to contemporary debates on warfare, accountability, and emerging military technologies.

This presentation challenges instrumental views of technology by drawing on Sikh philosophy and global traditions of thought. Professor Mandair explores how alternative models of individuation and spirituality can reshape our relationship with technology beyond modern Western frameworks.

How do stories create political power? Why do narratives matter in shaping legitimacy, justice, and belonging? In this Research Seminar, Dr Fatemeh Sadeghi (University College London – Institute for Global Prosperity) examines the powerful role of narratives and storytelling in legitimising political authority. Drawing on examples from Islamism, nationalism, and contemporary far-right populism, she shows how political stories do not merely reflect power but actively produce it. The seminar explores how movements mobilise ideas of moral renewal, nostalgia, and collective identity to justify authority, and how these same narratives can both inspire emancipation and reproduce exclusion or authoritarianism. Dr Sadeghi also situates these dynamics within an “age of crisis,” marked by inequality, political disillusionment, and declining trust in institutions, where emotional resonance increasingly replaces ideology as the basis of legitimacy.Read more, or watch the full seminar:https://ami.is/sadeghi-seminarAudio Chapters:0:10 - Introduction01:29 - What is Narrative? 04:02 - Types of Narrative in Islamic Culture08:46 - Storytellers & Storytelling15:10 - Significance of Narratives in Politics17:45 - Examples of Political Narratives 31:49 - The Age of Crisis and the Future of Politics

In this episode, Dr Attar explores how two major theologians — al-Ghazālī and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī — challenged the idea that miracles serve as proof of prophethood. Drawing on their engagement with the occult sciences, Dr Attar shows how both thinkers believed that extraordinary acts could be imitated by magicians and thaumaturges, raising new questions about what truly verifies a prophet. He concludes by proposing an Avicennian reinterpretation of miracles as signs of an elevated prophetic soul rather than evidentiary proofs.